ICB chief takes early retirement

An integrated care board chief executive is retiring after eight years in top commissioning roles.

Sarah Blow is leaving South West London Integrated Care Board after eight years running the commissioning system in the region.

Ms Blow will leave at the end of March 2025.

In a letter to staff today she said: “It has always been my plan to retire early and make the most of it. I have been working in the NHS for over 30 years and chief executive of the SW London system for eight years.

“I left school and started work when I was 15 years old, and I have never had a real break: I’m keen to give that a try!”

She said until then she would be focused on the ICB’s financial recovery plan, improving performance and reducing health inequalities.

The six south west London boroughs have a budget for 2024-25 of £3.4bn and the system is predicting a 0.1 per cent surplus if it can make savings of £250m, some of which it admits are “very high risk”.

SWL’s acute providers collectively have the lowest elective wait backlog in London, and the system is known nationally for strong elective performance. But it has the highest number of 12-hour accident and emergency breaches in London and is fifth highest nationally.

Senior management in the capital praised Ms Blow’s work on integrating services across the six boroughs — Merton, Wandsworth, Croydon, Sutton, Kingston and Richmond — which are arguably the most varied patches of all London’s ICSs.

NHS England London regional director Caroline Clarke said: “Sarah has led the delivery of many excellent services… Her legacy will be the strong culture of collaborative leadership across the NHS in SW London and the wider system, all of which has focused on delivering joined-up services for local people.”

SWL ICB chair Mike Bell said under Ms Blow the patch had “become a more collaborative system, with strong structures and relationships at place [borough level], and with our trusts, councils and other partners”, adding: “I know we will all miss her wisdom and energy, both locally and across the capital.”